How are you able to offer free email Support and phone consults?
My time and information to help you figure out which clinic is best for you is always free. If a patient decides to go to a certain clinic, then that clinic reimburses me for the help and support I offer to international patients. The risk I take to offer what I've learned in blogs, emails, and phone calls for free is that patients can get this valuable information from me and then contact the clinic directly. If you decide to contact a clinic directly after reading information from this site instead of emailing or talking with me me, please let the clinic know that Colleen Flowers helped you make your decision!
What made you choose the clinic you went to? Why not another one? Or why not one in Mexico or Switzerland or thailand?!
Research and Intuition.
If possible, talk to the doctor you want to receive treatment from. Before I made my decision, a doctor in Mexico told me that the cancer was a "serious problem" and said *repeatedly* that I had to stop eating Oreos. (PS - Food-shaming with a cancer diagnosis needs to stop! PPS - I never even ate Oreos! Ugh.)
Instead, the doctor I chose to get treatment from in Germany told me that the cancer was a "special case" and we'd work together. That felt so much better to me!
I encourage you to make decisions based not on running away from fear and death, but based on walking toward love and life.
What's the difference between the terms Alternative, Integrative, Complementary, and Holistic?
To me...
"Alternative" means doing treatment that is not traditional or conventional (like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation/radiothearpy). It can be natural or experimental.
"Integrative" means using BOTH natural or alternative treatments to increase the benefits of or reduce the side-effects of traditional or conventional treatment.
"Complementary" refers to the specific natural or alternative treatments used in conjunction with traditional or conventional treatments.
"Holistic" simply means looking at the *whole* person... mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and physical... we're not just a disease to be treated... we're people!
I've been a bit unsettled by some negative comments I've read online about alternative clinics... Could you provide me with anything to help ease my mind?
Yes... I've read many of the negative comments too. It can all feel so confusing, difficult, and emotional! Often patients like me who have success just go about their lives and don't write publicly about their experiences while other patients or family members who don't have success want to warn others. There's always 2 sides to every story. I recommend talking to the doctor at the clinics you're most interested in and getting a feel for them.
Where do you live?
I’m in Denver, Colorado (Mountain Time). In 2019 I started a full-time job in Customer Service with a tech company. I travel a lot and offer these consults and support during my free time.
This feels like a jungle! I don't know how many clinic websites I have been staring at. Can you help me feel less confused?
Sure thing. There are over 16 alternative cancer clinics here in Germany that treat international patients. I'll take the information you give me about the cancer diagnosis, your budget, which treatments your most interested in, and other things that are important to you and suggest the ones that would work best for you. Easy-peasy. Lemon-squeezy.
How much does it cost to go to an alternative cancer clinic in Germany?
It depends. Some clinics are in-patient and start at 5,000€/week while others are 40,000€/week (including room and board). Some clinics are out-patient and range from 3,000€/week to 10,000€/week (plus food and accommodation). Doctors usually recommend 2-6 weeks of treatment for the first round and most clinics require a financial deposit before arriving for treatment. I recommend using TransferWise to wire money to the clinic instead of using a bank.
Do you think everyone given a diagnosis of cancer should decline chemotherapy & radiation?
Nope. That would be like me saying I think everyone should be vegan or Paleo or gluten-free. (Here's my blog post about that topic in particular: "Hey Everybody... I'm Diet Queer*.") Also, I'm not a doctor. I work with a fabulous oncologist and think everyone should have a heath care provider overseeing their care. It's great when that relationship is built on trust... my doctor knows I'm not going to skip town on her and I know she's never going to give me any sort of "I told you so" speech.
If I've already used chemotherapy and/or radiation, is it possible for my body and immune system to recover and heal from those treatments?
Absolutely! The body is resilient. I think doing a specific detox plan at home or at a clinic in Germany would be ideal. It might involve heavy metal chelating, certain vitamin and nutritional supplements, and other lifestyle changes. Rebuilding the immune system is an excellent thing to focus on.
Will what you did to treat your cancer work for me?
No. I mean, well maybe... but no, not really. If you followed each step in my journey and did everything I did, then you'd be doing things you didn't have to and not doing things you should do. We're all so different! Your path will be your path and might involve being in new clinical trials or working with a shaman in South America or doing that one thing that you keep putting off doing. If some of the steps I've done encourages you to do more steps on your journey, then great! I'm always happy to share what I've learned with others.
I really enjoyed talking with you and a lot of things you said have stuck with me. How can I talk with you more?
Yippee! I want to talk with you more too!
I'm trained as a Holistic Reproductive Health & Sexuality Educator and I've been meeting with and educating individuals and couples regarding their holistic health since 2011. I offer life-coaching consults around fertility (Flowers Fertility), cancer (Holistic Cancer Living), making hard decisions, and more.
“If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it’s not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That’s why it’s your path.”